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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26759755">I Owe Him</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writingstuff22/pseuds/Writingstuff22'>Writingstuff22</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Prison Break</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Past Relationship(s), Past Romance, Romance, Smut, Some sexy moments, Unrequited Love, some mentions of drug use, some mentions of suicide attempt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:22:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26759755</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writingstuff22/pseuds/Writingstuff22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Because of her eidetic memory, her desire to help others, and her ability to think quickly and to keep calm at the view of blood, Jessica Tyler was promised a brilliant future as a surgeon like her parents. But their sudden death in a car accident led her to direct herself towards a shorter formation and she became a nurse who had to take care of her little sister, Alyssa. That was until Oscar Shales killed Alyssa, sending Jessica into a downward spiral of depressive emotions and thoughts.<br/>Jessica was saved from that spiral by two men, at two different times and in two different ways.<br/>As such, Jessica couldn't refuse when one of these men asked for her help to break out his innocent brother from prison. After all, she owes him.<br/>But, what happens when the other man finds out she knows something and asks her to help him catch the escapees? After all, she owes him.</p><p>This story takes place after the break out of the Fox River Eight. It follows the journey of a woman who has to face the consequences of her decisions. She will understand then that doing the right thing isn't always easy, particularly when it is considered as the wrong thing by others, and even more so when love is involved.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexander Mahone/Original Female Character, Alexander Mahone/Other, Alexander Mahone/Pam Mahone, Alexander Mahone/ofc, Michael Scofield/ Original Female Character, Michael Scofield/OFC, Michael Scofield/Sara Tancredi, alex mahone/ofc, alex mahone/original female character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Jess</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone!</p><p>I have taken notice of the scarcity of Prison Break stories featuring an OFC, and after rewatching the show numerous times during the quarantine, I just couldn't help but build my own OFC in my head. For a while, all I could think about was the creation of a fanfiction in which there would be another female addition to this overtly masculine world depicted in the show. I have found some fics that are truly brilliant on different websites, and I have enjoyed them thoroughly, but I still wanted to bring my own to the pile.</p><p>Please, keep in mind that English is not my native language, so there will most probably be some grammatical mistakes here and there. In fact, this story is a way for me to improve my English and writing skills as well as bringing a new prison break fanfiction to life.</p><p>This story takes place during the second season of the show, but there will be a few flashback moments (most of the times indicated by the use of italics and a few words before that will present the incoming flashback) that should give you more understanding as to who Jessica Tyler is and what are her connections or relations to a character or another, and why she is where she is when this story begins. The use of flashbacks might be confusing sometimes, and you might feel like encountering a plot hole sometimes, but trust me, every single thing will always be explained one way or another.</p><p>Also, please take into account these few changes that I had to make in order to make my story work better, or at least make my story have more sense (as you will see later on):</p><p>- The Fox River breakout takes place precisely on May 28, 2005.</p><p>- Alexander Mahone (sorry everyone, but his background had to change a bit for this fanfiction to work): in 1991, at the young age of 24 years old, he becomes an FBI agent after years in the US Army. He gets married to Pam in 1996 and Cameron is born in 2000. In 2003, as Alex is starting to get completely obsessed with his chase for Oscar Shales, he and Pam are already in the process of divorcing. When Alex kills Shales in June 2003 (in the canon, Alex kills and buries Shales around June 2004), they separate after only 7 years of marriage (instead of a decade as in the canon) and they officially get divorced sometime later.</p><p>- Michael Scofield: In June 2004, he goes to New Zealand and when he comes back to the States he begins his plan to get his brother out of prison.</p><p>There might be some other and important changes that I will let you know about later on. But until then, please enjoy this first chapter!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>May 29<sup>th</sup>, 2005.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“How are we doing?” A man in a suit asked as he came to stand in front of the bed where a young woman with auburn hair was lying, unconscious, an endotracheal tube placed in her mouth, and into her airway to assist with her breathing.</p><p>“Well, the IVs are hydrating her,” the doctor, standing next to the man, replied. “We got her on a naxolone infusion, half a milligram per hour.”</p><p>“What do you think the chances are?"</p><p>“Well, we’ve done everything on our end,” the doctor explained. “It’s really up to her.” He paused. “Either she fights and lives, or she quits and dies.”</p><p>Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.</p><p>“Excuse me?” A nurse asked as she opened the door ajar enough to show her face. The doctor turned to look at her while the man kept his sad gaze on the unconscious woman. “It’s the FBI.”</p><p>The man in the suit snapped his head towards the nurse at the mention of the FBI.</p><p>"I’ve already said that I don’t want anyone to get in the room, police or FBI,” he exclaimed as he walked towards the door, the doctor trailing after him.</p><p>“Senator—” The doctor began as they made their way out of the room.</p><p>“Senator Tancredi,” a tall dirty blond-haired man in a dark blue suit greeted solemnly. “Agent Alexander Mahone,” the man flashed his FBI badge.</p><p>“I don’t care who you are,” the Senator said as his bodyguards started to get closer to him but he waved them away. “No one gets around my daughter until she is better and until I say so.”</p><p>“I understand that you’re trying to protect your daughter, but she is part of a—”</p><p>“Of a mess,” the Senator cut him off. “I know that, but I would appreciate it if you could leave her alone for the time being.”</p><p>“I only need to ask her a few questions,” the agent declared. “Henry Pope, the warden at Fox River, told me she was not awake this morning, but I suppose she has come to since then, hasn’t she?”</p><p>“Well, no,” the Senator replied dryly.</p><p>“Oh,” the agent let out, his blue eyes glancing to the door leading to the room where Sara Tancredi was. He knew the Senator wasn't lying to him, for he had always been quite good at reading people, but he had been hoping to interrogate that doctor for a while now.</p><p>“If you must be reassured, I have already given my word that she will answer all your questions,” the Senator said, causing the FBI agent to return his gaze to the old man. “And you’ll see that she has nothing to do with the escape.”</p><p>The FBI agent was going to say something when his cellphone rang. He pulled it out, glanced at the dialer, and then looked up at the Senator.</p><p>“I guess we’ll see that,” he said before stepping away to take the phone call. He glanced at the Senator who was now saying a few words to the doctor.</p><p>“Yeah?” The agent said as he put his cellphone against his ear.</p><p>“Um, Sir, Agent Wheeler speaking,” the person on the other end of the line said. “We’ve found the woman who tattooed Scofield.”</p><p>“Well, I want this artist in the office when I come back,” the agent ordered as a red-haired nurse passed by him and dropped all of the files she was carrying.</p><p>“And, um, when do you plan on coming ba—” Agent Wheeler started before Agent Mahone hung up on him.</p><p>“Here, let me help,” Agent Mahone said as he crouched down to help the nurse gather the files, throwing a couple of glances towards the Senator as he left the place with his bodyguards, to the exception of two who remained in front of Sara Tancredi’s room. Standing tall and with strict expressions on their faces as they watched him.</p><p>The agent sighed before he focused back on giving a helping hand to the nurse who thanked him again and again.</p><p>“Sure,” he just said in return as he grabbed the last file and handed it to her, his blue gaze falling on the file that was on top of the pile she had gathered between her arms.</p><p>What was written on its cover caught his full attention.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>JESSICA TYLER.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Date of birth: May 30, 1975.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p><em>“You can call me Jess.”</em> The flashback of a young woman with curly brown hair and hazel eyes came to him for a quick but burning instant.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you,” the voice of the nurse pulled him out of this sudden flashback. He blinked as he looked up at her round face and the red curls that fell on each side, and then he looked back at the files she was holding as she stood up with a smile on her face.</p><p>“Jess,” he said in half a murmur as he stood up.</p><p>“Sorry, what?”</p><p>“J-Jessica,” he said before clearing his throat. “Jessica Tyler,” he gestured to the files. “Which room is she in?”</p><p>“Oh, um,” the nurse looked down at her files and then back up to him. “Are you a relative—“</p><p>“Just tell me where she is,” he told her in a way that sounded like an order with yet a pleading undertone.</p><p>The nurse looked at his face, taking notice in the subtle worry painted in his features, and then she eventually nodded.</p><p>“Can you take care of that, I’ll be right back?” She asked her colleague as she put all the files but one on the counter of the nurses' station. The other nurse didn’t say anything as she grabbed the files. The federal agent kept his focus on the file that the red-haired nurse held in one hand.</p><p>
  <em>Jessica Tyler's file.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jess...</em>
</p><p>“Come with me,” the nurse gently told him.</p><p>The agent followed her in silence, passing by the room that Sara Tancredi was occupying. They turned to a corridor on the right and after only a couple of doors, the nurse stopped in front of a room. She turned to the agent who was glancing behind him, noticing how close Sara Tancredi’s room was. When he turned around, the nurse gave him one of those sympathetic looks that he hated. The same look that his ex-family-in-law had given him when they found out that he had gone to War. The same look that his colleagues had given him when they learned about his divorce. The same look his colleagues had given her when they announced her sister’s death. Alex hated that look because most of the time it wasn't heartfelt, true sympathy that they offered, but rather a polite gesture, or what they believed to be a polite gesture.</p><p>“She was brought to us last night,” the nurse said and Alex’s blue eyes followed her hand as she grabbed the doorknob. “She hasn’t woken up yet.” He frowned at that information and felt his heartbeats increase. “She lost a lot of blood." His heartbeats kept on growing faster and harder against his ribcage. “We managed to stabilize her. But she is still unconscious, and she may remain as such for a while.”</p><p>Alex’s gaze slowly moved from the doorknob to the nurse’s arm and then up to her round face. The false sympathy didn’t look false anymore. Maybe it never was false in the first place, or maybe he saw it differently now that he needed someone to feel sympathy for him.</p><p>“How did it happen?” He inquired, almost sounding vulnerable. “Was she... Was she shot?”</p><p>The nurse gave him a puzzled look.</p><p>“Since we couldn’t find any family member, any close friend to call, I have to ask if you actually and personally know her or if it’s just for the case?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“She’s all I have,” the brown-haired woman cried. “We lost our parents a few years ago. She is all I have. She’s my baby sister… Please, you have to find her b-before he… Before S-shales hurt her.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The federal agent blinked the flashback away and then slightly frowned as he realized what the nurse had just said. “What do you mean, ‘the case’?”</p><p>“Well, she does work as a temporary nurse at the Fox River prison, and she came here just a few moments before Sara Tancredi, and—”</p><p>“She is a temp at Fox River?” He interrupted her, his frown growing deeper. "She never told me,” he whispered more for himself than anyone else, but the nurse heard him anyway.</p><p>“So, I take it she is not part of your investigation, but you know her,” the nurse deduced. “Or at least, you know her a bit.”</p><p>“Right,” he replied absently, his gaze on the door as a thousand thoughts and questions began to swirl in his head.</p><p>The nurse looked at him for a moment and then nodded to herself. She turned to open the door and walked in before turning to look at the federal agent who was still at the doorway.</p><p>He slowly walked in, his steps heavy and losing their confidence as he approached the bed. He stopped a couple of feet from it, his breathing stopping sharp as his eyes landed on the blond-haired woman lying there, unconscious, a tube in her mouth, wires leaving her upper chest to connect her to a monitor that watched her heartbeats, an IV in the elbow pit, and bandages around her wrists and half of her forearms.</p><p>He couldn't look away from these bandages. From what they meant. What could have happened... What happened... What was happening...</p><p>He couldn’t help the memory that came suddenly to him; the memory of the first time he met her.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Sir, can you hear me? It’s alright, you’re fine. I’ve got you, you’re fine,” her gentle but firm voice said as she started to rip his shirt open to get access to his bleeding bullet wound, between the bones of his ribcage and of his left clavicle. He felt her apply pressure and that was when he moved his blue eyes towards her face. The young woman had fair skin, wild brown curls, and warm hazel eyes that looked at him with the kindest and most determined expression. “You’re fine. The ambulance is on its way.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Shales…” He said, trying to stand up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“No, no, no,” she told him, gently pushing him back down. “You can’t move now.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I gotta catch him… I can’t let him run…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry, but the man who shot you is already gone,” she told him and he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned in frustration. He opened his eyes and tried to stand up again but she put some more pressure to hold him back down, “Look, it’s too late now, and you won’t be able to get him with that gunshot wound.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You said I was fine,” he pointed out and her eyebrows raised at him. He tried to sit up but she pushed him back down. “My legs work, I can run after him."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’d still need to know what direction he took, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t see it when you fell. Actually, even I didn’t see that,” she told him and he sighed, moving his gaze up to the blue sky. It was such a beautiful, sunny day; almost like the perfect day to finally catch Oscar Shales after all this time running after him. “And to be honest with you, if I knew where he ran to, I wouldn’t tell you,” he frowned, returning his gaze to meet hers. “I mean, it’d be too risky for you; you’re bleeding way too much.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I thought I was fine,” he told her in what almost sounded like a groan.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, well, it was one of those little white lies that nurses tend to say,” she told him. He stared at her for a couple of seconds and then he scoffed. He rested his head back down on the grass and chuckled, his eyes going from the bright blue sky to the woman’s face.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the voice of the red-haired nurse pulled Alexander back to reality. It brutally went away; the memory of Jessica's face full of life under that bright blue sky while she kept her pressure on his bullet wound, keeping him alive and safe until the ambulance came. It brutally went away to be replaced by the present view he had of her lying, unconscious in a hospital bed.</p><p>He frowned as he heard a voice, as though coming from very far away. He blinked a few times and then moved his gaze towards the red-haired nurse.</p><p>“I have to go, so if you need to check her file,” she said, slightly waving the file in her hand before putting it down on the chair that was a few feet away from the bed.</p><p>"Thank you,” he just said, following her with his gaze until she walked out, closing the door behind her.</p><p>Alexander stared at the door for a moment. The silence in the room was only broken by the beeping sounds of the machines connected to the unconscious woman.</p><p>Alexander turned his attention back to her. He watched her for a few seconds that seemed to last minutes, hours even. And then he walked towards her, slowly and almost hesitantly. He stood next to her, his blue gaze fixated on her face. A strand of hair was on her forehead, causing him to frown as he looked at all of her hair... Blond straight hair that had replaced her natural wavy and curly brown hair. He raised a hand and with two fingers he gently pushed the strand of hair off her forehead. He kept his fingers against the skin of her forehead and then he softly caressed her skin down to the small scar above the end of her right eyebrow, right next to her temple. He closed his eyes as he remembered where she got that scar from.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"You’re bleeding,” he told her, cupping her chin to have a better look at her face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is he… Is he dead?” She asked, her eyes glued to the stains of blood that were covering a good part of his pale blue shirt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He’s not gonna hurt you or anyone anymore.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Alexander opened his eyes and let out a shaky breath as he felt the tears welling up in his eyes. He looked at the woman’s face and leaned down to kiss her forehead. He lingered the chaste and tender kiss, his eyes closing as another memory came to him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>She was lying on her back, under him, and they were both breathing heavily as they had just reached their climax at the same time. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. Her eyes were still closed as she tried to calm her breathing.  He couldn't help but roam her face with his eyes. Sweat was making the skin of her face glister, her cheeks were colored in pink, and a smile was playing on her lips that were incredibly red from all the kissing and biting he had done. He brought a hand up and pushed a brown curl off her forehead, caressing the scar at the end of her eyebrow. He then did something he had never done before. He leaned his face down and tenderly kissed her forehead.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>When Alex opened his eyes, slowly pulling away from her, he kept his blue gaze on her face even though he hated seeing that tube connected to her mouth. His gaze traveled down to her arms and to her wrists. The bandages around her wrists...</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, the angry male voice of the ghost that haunted Alex’s mind shouted.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> <strong>"This is your fault!"</strong> </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Startled, Alex instantly spun around.</p><p>No one was there.</p><p><em>Of course,</em> no one was there.</p><p>Shales was only in his mind. Haunting him forever.</p><p>Alex took a deep breath and slipped his pen out of his pocket, unscrewing it in a second before dropping a pill down in the palm of his hand. He looked at it for a moment and then looked over his shoulder at the unconscious woman lying there. He had never needed to take those pills when he was with her. Her sole presence by his sides used to bring him serenity and peace that even those pills couldn’t.</p><p>
  <em>But now…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Now, it was different...</em>
</p><p>All of sudden, he remembered what the red-haired nurse had said earlier...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"Well, she does work as a temporary nurse at the Fox River prison, and she came here just a few moments before Sara Tancredi..."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>When did Jess start working at Fox River? The last time he saw her, just a few months ago, back in February, she hadn't mentioned anything about Fox River. She never did. Not even when he called her in March to check in with her. Why would she keep that a secret? Why wouldn't she tell him she found a job at Fox River when he asked her how her job hunting was going?</p><p>Alex grabbed the file that the nurse left on the chair and took a look inside. He skimmed the documents and sighed when he realized the answers he was looking for weren't in this file. He raised his hand to rub at his forehead as he looked up to the ceiling for a moment. He was going to throw the file back on the chair when he took notice of a few lines that were written on one of the documents.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Height: 168 cm / 5'6"</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Weight: 65 kilos / 144 lbs</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>His eyebrows furrowed at these lines. The height was right, but the weight wasn't. He lifted his gaze up towards the unconscious woman. Even with the sheet on top of her, he could tell that Jessica didn't weigh more than 60 kilos now. 58 upmost. He wondered whether that information on the document was erroneous or if it was collected from an old document or database as he remembered that she was a little over 60 kilos when they first met. Putting this thought aside, he then looked at the next lines.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Eye color: Hazel</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Hair color: Blond</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Alex stared at the last word for a moment. He then raised his head, his gaze instantly landing on the unconscious woman. Or more precisely, on her hair. Her blond straight hair that had replaced her brown curly and wavy hair. The document between his fingers was supposed to present the characteristics of the patient like a passport does. So why would the document state that her hair color is blond when she was a natural brunette? Could it be yet another mistake unintentionally done by the hospital staff or by the system from which they collected all the information about their patient?</p><p>Alex licked his lips, looking down at the document before he returned his gaze on the woman. His gaze slowly moved down to her wrists wrapped in bandages.</p><p>The words of the nurse echoed in the back of his head...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"... I have to ask if you actually and personally know her or if it’s just for the case?” ...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, she does work as a temporary nurse at the Fox River prison, and she came here just a few moments before Sara Tancredi..."</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Alex hated how his brain was connecting all the dots and offering him a hypothesis that made some sense...</p><p>He hated it, but he couldn't help but wonder...</p><p>What if Jess was involved in the breakout of the Fox River Eight?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter even though it was rather short and there certainly were some mistakes and typos that I didn't notice before posting.<br/>Anyways, the next chapter will come very soon so watch out :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. This is why I'm here.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>May 30th, 2005.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>The blond-haired nurse was holding the insulin injection just an inch from the inmate's forearm, pretending to inject him with what he needed for his fake diabetes. That was what Jessica had been doing for nearly a month and a half now. Ever since Michael arrived at Fox River, he would come to the infirmary twice a day for half an hour or more, and Jessica would be the one to take care of him. Or at least, she was in charge of doing his injection and checking his health every other day when Dr. Tancredi wasn’t.</em>
</p><p>
  <em> “It’s happening tonight,” Michael half-murmured, taking Jessica by surprise, which caused her to slip her hand and push the needle inside of his skin in a harsh movement. “Ouch".</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Sorry!” She exclaimed in a whisper as she slowly dragged the needle out of his skin. She looked at the small drop of blood that formed and then lifted her gaze up to look at him. “You said, ‘tonight’?” She whispered and he gave a small nod. “So, you’re sure this time around?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, unless, something happens again to ruin everything… Yeah, I’m sure,” he told her with a small smirk. She stared at him for a moment. “What?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I… I just can’t believe that this is it,” she said, looking down at the red drop in his arm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, this isn’t exactly it,” he replied, his blue-gray eyes focused on her face. “This is only ‘the Fellowship of the Ring’,” he said with a smile, causing a small smile to form on her lips as she looked at him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Shall I remind you what happens in ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘Return of the King’? It’s quite an exhausting and eventful journey, and not everything goes as planned..but you already got a taste of that in here...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is that what you worry about? That things might not go as planned?” He inquired and she sighed as she put the injection away and grabbed a piece of cotton for the small drop of blood in his arm. She rested the cotton on it and started to tend to it as though it was a terrible war injury.  “Jess,” he said in a low murmur and she instantly looked up at him. It had been a long time since he had called her by that name. Within the walls of Fox River, she was either Miss Tyler or Nurse Tyler. Since they had to pretend that they didn’t know each other, Michael had to be careful to never call her by her first name. “Everything will work out,” he told her in a reassuring tone. “I wouldn’t have made you dye your hair for no reason,” he smirked and she let out a soft breathy chuckle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You forget the straightening,” she told him, gently teasing him back. “I have to do it every single morning; it’s the worst.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You're the one who suggested doing it," he remarked, chuckling under his breath.</em>
</p><p><em>She turned around, </em> <em>throwing the cotton in the trashcan before she went to grab the stethoscope.</em></p><p>
  <em>“You’ve already used it earlier,” he told her but lifting his grey shirt up anyway as she faced him with the object.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I know,” she replied, avoiding his gaze as she focused on the cold metal that she placed on several spots on his tattooed chest. “I’m just trying to spend some more time with you before…You know,” she whispered and shrugged before glancing up at him and offering a sad smile.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jess..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m sorry,” she said, blinking a few times and taking a deep breath to calm herself. “I’m just… I wish I could hug you goodbye.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jess, this isn’t goodbye,” he murmured to her, one of his hands leaving the hem of his shirt that he was holding up so that he could wrap it around her forearm. “Remember the Rendez-vous.” He paused, gently squeezing her forearm. “Like Gandalf said?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She took a deep breath and gave a determined nod with her head as she looked at him and repeated, “Like Gandalf said.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>All of sudden, the memory that had come to Jessica’s mind in a dream vanished away as she came to, her eyes snapping open.</p><p>She frowned for a second as her gaze landed on a white ceiling. Then as she was going to wonder out loud where she was, she felt something in her mouth, making its way down her airway in the most uncomfortable way. She looked down and realized it was a tube to assist with her breathing. She looked around her as she understood that she was in a hospital room. When her eyes landed on the nurse call button, she reached for it, only to see the bandages around her wrists and half of her forearms. She immediately remembered what had happened, what she had attempted to do, and the reasons why.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Like Gandalf said?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Like Gandalf said,” she nodded.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Michael kept his hand around her forearm as his thumb reassuringly rubbed her skin. His eyes, blue and grey, held eye contact. “We’ll hug then. But not to say goodbye.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’ll find the key behind a pile of white boxes, right next to the door,” she informed him, intentionally not addressing what he had just said. “I just hope that you’ll have enough time… Because if one of the five of you gets caught…” Michael’s thumb suddenly stopped its movement and an indescribable expression splashed on his face, confusing her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He looked down, his brows furrowed together and then he raised his gaze back up, and gave her one of those looks filled with sorrow and regrets. “I have to tell you something...” He began before they were interrupted by the door opening, causing Jessica to instantly move away, making Michael's hand drop off her arm.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Jessica felt the tears well up in her eyes so she closed her eyes, chasing away the memory, only to instantly remember what her colleague had said when he called her after the breakout.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Eight, Jessica! Eight of them got out! And in the bunch, there’s Bagwell, Abruzzi, and even Patoshik! Can you imagine what’s gonna happen? How many people are gonna die? I’m sure it’s not gonna take long because they already killed one on their way out. I don't know all the details but apparently, that old inmate who was always with a cat, you know, Westmore-something, he was found dead in the infirmary…”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Jessica choked in her tears and she suddenly felt like suffocating. Suffocating from the tube installed in her mouth and her airways. Suffocating from the warmth in the room. Suffocating from the beeping noises of the machines she was connected to. Suffocating from all the guilt that was all over and inside of her. Suffocating from still being alive while she deserved to die for setting free Theodore Bagwell and Charles Patoshik.</p><p>Uncontrollably crying, Jessica reached for the nurse call button and pressed down several times.</p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <strong> <em>Later.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Jessica had woken up four hours ago and she had been sitting up on the itchy bed since then. Those had been four long hours. It wasn’t so much for the fact that she had to respond to a hundred of questions that the doctors had for her, nor was it for the fact that the nurses told her that she had been out for a whole day and was now part of a serious investigation and the police would most probably soon come to interrogate her.</p><p><em>No</em>.</p><p>Those hours had felt extremely long because she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the eight inmates that had escaped because of her. She had heard the news in the middle of the night, from one of the nurses who did the night shift in the psychiatric aisle. But the nurses at the hospital she was currently at had also made sure to tell her about it, trying to get her to say more about the unreal situation. Jessica never said anything, lost in her own thoughts that revolved around the eight inmates.</p><p>Eight inmates had escaped.</p><p><em>Eight</em>.</p><p>Among whom true criminals who had murdered and done some of the most terrible things.</p><p>When she found out that in the pack of escapees, there was Theodore Bagwell and Charles Patoshik, Jessica had felt a punch hit her in the stomach, and then guilt had settled in there, growing incredibly fast and big inside of her. Michael had told her that the only persons escaping with him would be his brother Lincoln, his cellmate Fernando Sucre, John Abruzzi who would provide them with plane once out, and Charles Westmoreland who was desperate to see his dying daughter. He had never told her about the four other convicts tagging along. She knew that at some point Bagwell had found out about Michael escaping, but Michael had told her that he had found a way to ditch Bagwell. And Charles Patoshik wasn't mentioned as part of the plan either. She couldn't imagine Michael deciding to break him out while he did all he could to get rid of him when they were sharing a cell.</p><p>She didn't want to think that Michael had lied to her, but she was starting to think that he didn't tell everything.</p><p>Maybe it had been a mistake to help him break out of prison with his brother. Maybe she would have been a better friend if she had prevented him from doing that bank robbery all those months ago. And then none of these convicts would be out there, free to commit new crimes, free to kill innocents… Like Oscar Shales had done.</p><p>Jessica closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead against her eyelids as she tried to stop thinking about that son of a bitch. It wasn’t time to think about him. She already had enough guilt and anger to deal with for the moment.</p><p>She was pulled out of her thoughts by the noise of the door opening. She looked towards it and felt her breathing stop in disbelief.</p><p>There <em>he</em> was.</p><p>The last person she thought she would see.</p><p>The person she had bid farewell with months ago.</p><p>The person she had planned on not seeing anymore.</p><p>Because Michael’s plan couldn’t work if that man was in the picture.</p><p>Michael’s plan <em>wouldn’t</em> work if that man was in the picture.</p><p>“Miss Tyler, this man is—” A nurse began as she walked in, right after the tall man, but Jessica didn’t even see her as her hazel gaze remained connected with the man’s blue gaze.</p><p>“No need for any introduction,” the man interrupted, never breaking the eye contact with Jessica. “She knows who I am."</p><p>Neither the man nor Jessica paid any attention as the nurse left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.</p><p>"Alex..." She whispered his name, in utter disbelief that he was standing there.</p><p> </p><hr/><p>Jessica felt a mixture of feelings fill her. She was embarrassed, ashamed, scared, anxious, and yet she was also happy. Happy to see him. It had been months since she last saw him. The last time she saw him, her hair was still a mess of brown curls and she was looking for a job. But, that was before Fox River.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” Alex asked in a gentle voice that didn’t match the neutral and almost cold expression painted on his face. She watched him as he grabbed the chair that was a few feet away from her bed to put it nearby the end of her bed so that they could face each other as he sat down.</p><p>“I’m fine,” she lied, looking away.</p><p>“Is that one of those little white lies of yours?” He asked and she returned her gaze towards him, meeting his own instantly. Unlike his neutral facial expression, there were many emotions in the blue sea that were his eyes. Confusion, concern, and maybe some affection too. But she was probably wrong about the last one. After all, it had never been about affection between them. Or at least, not from his part.</p><p>“What are you doing here, Alex?” She asked him, her voice coming out in a breath. “I’m pretty sure you’re not on my emergency contact list.”</p><p>“You’re right,” he nodded and continued to speak gently. “But, it turns out that you don’t have anyone on your emergency contact list. Hell, it turns out that you don’t even have any kind of contact list. Not on your phone, nor on any of your notebooks.”</p><p>She frowned at him and then she was hit by realization. He must be the FBI agent the nurses talked about, the one that was assigned to lead the manhunt.</p><p>“You’re on the case,” Jessica stated.</p><p>“I am,” he confirmed and she looked down, feeling a slight heartache burst inside of her.</p><p>"And here I thought you were visiting me because you actually cared about me—”</p><p>“I do care about you,” he cut her off, causing her to shoot her gaze up and stare at him in silence. “This is why I’m here.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I need you…” Alex whispered against her lips before he crushed his own against hers in a strong and needy kiss. “This is why I’m here,” he continued as his mouth left hers for a moment while his hands lifted her to hold her against the wall behind her.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Jessica blinked the flashback away as she sat up a bit straighter on her bed.</p><p>“I thought you were here for the case,” she accused nonchalantly.</p><p>“No,” he replied. “I am on the case. But I’m here for <em>you</em>. I’m here because…” He had to take a pause and she looked down, her hazel gaze falling on the bandages around her wrists. She wanted to hide them, but she knew there was no point in that. He clearly already knew. “I need to know what happened,” he half-whispered. “What…You could have called me.” He said and she looked over at him. She was surprised to see that he wasn’t looking at her then. His gaze was focused on her hands. On the bandages. A sad and distant expression written on his face. “If you needed to talk or if you needed help… If you needed me… You know my number by heart, you could have called me.”</p><p>“I didn’t want to tell anyone,” she admitted in a whisper. “I didn’t want anyone to know.”</p><p>“Was it planned?” He inquired, his voice gentle, keeping his gaze on the bandages.</p><p>“No."</p><p>He gave a slow nod and then he rubbed a hand down his face. She watched him as he stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside. Her gaze was fixating on his side profile as he was standing there, quiet and thoughtful. Sunrays were traveling through the window’s glass to dance on him, making his dirty blond hair glim bright and his skin shine. He looked beautiful, standing there, and she was certain that if she was still connected to a heart rate monitor, her heart skipping a beat wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.</p><p>“The police searched your place,” he informed her, pulling her back to the reality of the situation.</p><p>“I figured. Did they tell you about the lack of contact list in my life, or were you with them when they went to my place?”</p><p>“I’ve read their report,” he said, turning around to look at her. “You know, they weren’t going to visit your place at first. But, there were too many coincidences that linked you to the breakout.” She looked up and instantly met his blue gaze, the sunlight making his eyes look even more piercing than usual. “I know you need to rest, Jess, but I need you to answer some questions first.”</p><p>“Okay,” she said in a little voice.</p><p>He nodded and then he stepped out of the sunrays as he approached her bed. He grazed his fingers on the edge of the back of the chair before deciding to stand next to it instead of using it to sit down again.</p><p>When he looked up, Jessica knew that he wasn’t here for her anymore. He was here for the case now.</p><p>“You got a call from a colleague from the psychiatric aisle that night, a short time after the breakout, I need to know what he told you.”</p><p>“He just wanted to tell me about the breakout,” she truthfully said. “He told me… He told me that eight got out and that Charles Westmoreland died…”</p><p>“Nothing else?” He inquired and she thought about it for a moment. That was about it.</p><p>"He told me the name of some of the inmates that got out," she gave a light shrug.</p><p>"According to your hospital file, the ambulance found you about two hours after that call.” She felt her heartbeats pick up and was once again relieved for the lack of a heart rate monitor connected to her. “Did something during that call, something that your colleague might have said, push you to try and commit suicide?” He asked, taking her a bit aback by his bluntness. But it had to be expected now. He was a federal agent interrogating her now.</p><p>“No,” she lied.</p><p>“Jess,” he sighed. “I’m gonna need you to stay honest.”</p><p>“I’m telling you the truth.”</p><p>“It doesn’t feel like it," he told her and she realized that beyond the fact that he was one of the best federal agents, he also knew her quite well.</p><p>“My colleague didn’t push me to kill myself, Alex,” she said, looking him straight in his eyes. Honesty was there. She wasn’t lying. But she wasn’t exactly responding to his question, but somehow, and luckily for her, he didn’t seem to think of much it.</p><p>“Alright. So, why did you and Sara Tancredi feel the need to kill yourselves on the same night?” He asked, freezing Jessica on the spot as she heard the shocking news for the first time.</p><p>“D-doctor Tancredi tried to… What?” She breathed out, her brows furrowed in utter confusion.</p><p>“You didn’t know,” he said more than asked. “She injected herself with morphine. A quantity that would have killed her if she hadn’t been found on time.”</p><p>Jessica’s gaze slowly slipped from Alex’s face to his black tie and then to the pale blue shirt he had under the dark blue jacket of his suit. Her eyes fixated at the buttons of his shirt and then she was hit by a memory of that terrible night, a couple of years ago.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Is he… Is he dead?” She asked, her gaze staring at the red stains on Alex’s shirt from the blood that had splashed around after he had shot a man to death.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“She’s fine,” Alex said, bringing her back to reality. “If that’s what you’re worried about. She’s fine.  She woke up earlier and has, in fact, already left the hospital.” He informed her as she slowly moved her gaze back up to meet his. “You were both suspected of being accessories to the escape principally because the convicts didn’t force the infirmary’s door open, and because you were the last ones seen there the other night.” He paused, glancing down at her hands before letting out a small sigh. “And the fact that you both did what you did after leaving your workplace, didn’t work in your favor.”</p><p>Jessica didn’t say anything but she felt herself getting sick as she thought about the female doctor...</p><p>Sara Tancredi tried to kill herself…</p><p>Sara Tancredi blamed herself for something that Jessica had done…</p><p>Sara Tancredi tried to kill herself because of something Jessica had done…</p><p>Sara Tancredi could have died because of something that Jessica had done...</p><p>Sara Tancredi was probably going to be sent to prison because of something that Jessica had done...</p><p>“The cameras have terrible angles but the camera footage showed us enough evidence to understand that <em>you</em> have nothing to do with this,” Alex continued. The woman instantly frowned as she stared at him, waiting for some clarification. “Although your key was found nearby the door, behind a pile of boxes, the camera footage shows that you’ve accidentally dropped it there earlier that day, and more importantly they show when you and the Doc left on that night. And, well, it appears that you didn’t even touch the door.  So, you’re officially exonerated because you’re not the one who left the door open.”</p><p>Jessica didn’t say anything for a moment as she absorbed all the information, especially the last one.</p><p>“The door was left open?” She asked, confusion wrapped in her voice.</p><p>“Tancredi left it open. I believe, deliberately, although the footage doesn't offer much to analyze her body language,” he said in a calm voice before finally deciding to sit down again. “Her father is making sure that this information remains confidential for now so I understand it comes as a surprise for you.”</p><p>“But… Doctor Tancredi would have never done that,” she said in a contemplative tone.</p><p>“What makes you say that?” He inquired.</p><p>“I mean… She didn’t have any reason to help them.”</p><p>Alex watched her for a moment, his gaze flickering to her straight, slightly wavy, blond hair that was curly brown the last time he saw her.</p><p>“Did you have any?” He asked and she stared at him for a moment as a flashback appeared in the back of her mind.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Come on now, just give me your hand,” Michael said, offering his hand while his blue gaze held hers with gentleness and care that she had never seen before. “Please,” he said, getting closer to the edge of the cliff where she stood, ready to jump. “You’re not alone… I can help you.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Jess, did you have a reason to help these convicts to escape?” Alex asked, his blue eyes glued to her face.</p><p>“You said it yourself. I didn’t leave the door open,” she said, hoping that her voice remained as neutral and nonchalant as possible. Alex’s gaze scanned her face, glancing at her hair every once in a while. She could feel his eyes on her and she knew his brain was trying to figure her out, figure out her involvement in that case. And she knew that soon he would figure it all out. So she looked up at him asked, “What’s gonna happen to Doctor Tancredi?”</p><p>The question worked well in making him drift his attention away from her hair.</p><p>“She’s gonna have to answer a few questions,” he told her, raising his eyebrows as though stating the obvious. “But don’t worry about her, thanks to her father, she might not face any prison time for her… <em>mistake</em>.” It didn’t go unnoticed for Jessica that Alex paused before saying that last word and the stress he put on it didn’t go unnoticed either. “You never told me you worked at Fox River,” Alex said after a moment of silence. “Actually, I found out that the last time we crossed path, back in February, you were <em>already</em> working there. Yet, you didn't say a word about it."</p><p>“It must have slipped my mind,” she offered as a response.</p><p>“And when I called you in March, you said you were still job-hunting,” he pointed out.</p><p>Jessica froze for a couple of seconds.</p><p>“Did I?” She let out even though she knew it was too late. She knew that these brief two seconds of silence that she had offered had given more answers to Alex than anything she could say.</p><p>“Yeah…" He breathed out. "Yeah, you did,” he half-murmured, sounding as though he was reflecting on her responses, his blue eyes fixating her face. He then asked, “Did you know them? The fugitives?”</p><p>“Well, I didn’t even meet half of them."</p><p>“But you’ve tended to some of them. You’ve tended to Theodore Bagwell after he was injured from fighting and had to spend some time in the infirmary. And you’ve taken care of Charles Westmorland when he got sick a couple of times,” he said and she realized that he already knew so much about her time at Fox River. “And Michael Scofield.” He paused and then let out a very subtle scoff that didn’t go unnoticed by Jessica. She couldn’t help but wonder what that scoff meant, but her thoughts were interrupted as he continued. “You were in charge of seeing him every other day to give him a daily check-up before giving him an insulin injection. And, after the chaotic lockdown that led to the riots, you had to take care of him more frequently, which gave you some extra and unpaid work that according to your colleagues you didn't mind at all.” He rubbed his jaw with his fingers as he looked away for a moment. “I guess my question is during these visits, did they ever say something that indicated they were going to break out?”</p><p>“No,” she replied, keeping her composure. She convinced herself that her answer wasn’t a lie as she was only referring to Theodore Bagwell and Charles Westmoreland, with whom she never talked about the escape.</p><p>“If you don’t mind, I need you to make a full sentence,” Alex said, putting his left hand on his thigh as he leaned a bit forward, keeping his focus on her face. He saw the subtle change in her facial expression, as though she was puzzled and... scared. “Just… Please, humor me.”</p><p>“Um,” she began, wondering why he was asking her to do that. His face didn’t let on anything, and she couldn’t even read the expression that was in his blue eyes. She had never imagined that a day would come when he would look at her with cold and suspicious eyes. But it was also for this reason that she had decided to break off all ties with him. “They never said anything about escaping. Not even an allusion.”</p><p>“Who? Be more specific,” he said. “I want you to use their names.”</p><p>Jessica frowned and then sighed before doing as told.</p><p>“Bagwell never said anything about escaping, and neither did Westmoreland and Michael.”</p><p>Alex blinked a few times and his hand slipped from his thigh as he stood up.</p><p>And Jessica instantly knew that she had made a big mistake.</p><p>He walked behind the chair, making a few steps away from her bed before he spun around and looked at her, his head slightly cocked to the side.</p><p>“So, let me get this straight, you call everyone by their last names, but you call Michael Scofield by his first name?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you've enjoyed this second chapter and that you didn't find it too slow or uneventful. The next one will set everything in motion, and it will be posted soon, so watch out :)</p><p>PS: sorry for the mistakes and typos. I tried my best</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Harmless</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>May 30<sup>th</sup>, 2005.</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>Early afternoon.</em> </strong>
</p><p>Sitting in the passenger seat of a black Chevrolet suburban that was one of the FBI service vehicles, Alex was quiet, lost in his thoughts. He was being driven back to the Chicago FBI field office after his visit to LJ Burrows at the Cook County Court House and his near capture of both Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield in an elevator of the building. He had been so close to catching them. But what he couldn’t stop thinking about was Scofield’s gaze. When Alex and the young Burrows were in one of the elevators at the Court House, Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield had opened the escape hatch in the ceiling to take LJ with them. Then, Alex's gaze had locked with Scofield's a few times, and while it had been for a brief moment each time, Alex had still seen great intelligence in the fugitive's gaze; something that the picture hanging at the office and circulating everywhere in the nation wasn’t showing at all. But Alex had also noticed some fear in that gaze. And quite surely that made Alex rather happy because it meant that as incredibly smart as Michael had been with all his meticulous planning and tattoos, at the end of the day, he was still just a man. A man whose fear would soon turn into paranoia which would ultimately become psychosis. It was just a matter of time before he would finally catch him.</p><p>“It’s funny,” the black-haired agent who was driving laughed, breaking the silence. Alex didn’t like this new agent but those he was used to working with were busy with other important tasks so none of them could join him when he was at the Court House earlier.</p><p>“What’s funny?” Alex asked, trying not to sound too irritated that his trail of thoughts had been interrupted.</p><p>“Well, when you think about it, they didn’t even have a gun,” the agent chuckled. “Just that water gun they freaking painted black.”</p><p>“Yeah, and now they’ve got my gun,” Alex stated as the image of the Burrows’ son taking his gun and passing it to his uncle flashed before his eyes.</p><p>“Well, yeah, but, what I meant is that it’s pretty pathetic for criminals,” the agent said and Alex turned his head to look at him. “Most of our fugitives usually carry weapons with them. And these two didn't... It's like they are, or rather they were just… harmless.”</p><p>Alex stared at the agent for a moment as he remembered when Burrows’ gun fell on the elevator’s floor, making a sound that had told Alex the gun was nothing more than a plastic toy. <em>“Hey, back off! Back off! Back off!”</em> Scofield had then screamed while aiming at Alex with the gun that LJ had provided him just seconds earlier. As though the fake gun wasn’t enough of a giveaway, Michael’s warnings but lack of action even though he was now holding Alex's real gun had made the federal agent realize that neither of the brothers would shoot. No matter how desperate they were to take the teen with them, they were not capable of… killing. That was also something that he had seen in Scofield’s gaze—and in Burrows’ now that he thought of it. They were not killers.</p><p>Alex frowned as he turned his head towards the window on his right. He knew that Burrows had been sent to prison and sentenced to be executed by electric chair because he had killed President Reynold’s brother. So, that would mean that he had failed at reading Burrow's gaze. Perhaps, he had failed at reading both of the brother's gazes then... Or maybe, <em>just</em> <em>maybe</em>, he had read them well and both Burrows and Scofield were actually rather…</p><p>“Harmless,” Alex whispered, continuing his thought out loud.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong><em>Late afternoon.</em> </strong>
</p><p>When Jessica arrived at her apartment, it was nearly 6 pm. If she hadn’t left a spare key hidden in the flower pot at the other end of the floor’s corridor, she would have had to contact her nosy landlord, and would probably have had to deal with quite some judgment as well as indiscreet and untactful questions for what she had tried to do two nights ago. And Jessica was too tired to go through another conversation about her intentions behind her suicide attempt or about her link with the breakout. After Alex had come to visit her, or rather after he had come to interrogate her, Jessica had a visit from the police of Chicago. They had asked her a thousand questions, among which some didn’t seem to be much related to the case. It was clear that they all believed she was completely innocent in that case. Alex, on the other hand… His questions had been much fewer and much more precise. There was no doubt for her that Alex knew what he was looking for when he asked her all those questions.</p><p>As Jessica walked into her bathroom, she dropped in the white sink the bags filled with bandages and waterproof protection to put around her bandaged wrists when taking a shower. She leaned her hands down on the edge of the sink and looked up at her reflection in the mirror.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“So, you call everyone by their last names, but when it comes to Michael Scofield, you use his first name?” Alex asked, suspicion clear in his voice and facial expression. “Or maybe you cared a little too much about him? Please, don’t tell me you went full Florence Nightingale on him.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jessica managed to keep her composure even though her heart was throbbing hard against her ribcage. When she and Michael had prepared the questions she might be asked by the police, they hadn’t planned for her to make that slip by casually using his first name.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Still, Jessica managed to offer a simple explanation without letting on the fact that deep inside of her, a true panic was starting to rise.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“When you see the same patient almost every day, you tend to call them by their first name, Alex,” she said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Of course,” he said, although she could tell from his voice and the way he was looking at her that he wasn’t entirely convinced by her words. “And what about your key to the infirmary? How come you never mentioned losing it?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jessica had an answer already prepared for that question, and that made her feel like she finally gained back some control of the situation and could look less suspicious.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I barely even use that key, one of the nurses or the doctors are usually there earlier and later than I am, so I didn’t even realize when it slipped out of my pocket.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“But you could’ve heard it hitting the floor,” he remarked. This was not a question she thought she'd be asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I guess I could have, but I didn't,” she still managed to say and he nodded, slowly and thoughtfully. “Alex, I feel like you’re not just asking me a few questions, but rather interrogating me.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The dirty-blond man didn’t say anything for a moment. His intense blue gaze falling down to look at her wrists. Jessica noticed that the expression on his face lost a bit of its sternness, as though the simple glimpse of her bandaged wrists reminded him of the tragedy that could’ve happened.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I came to see Doctor Tancredi yesterday,” he said in a low voice, suddenly no longer sounding like he was interrogating her. “I wasn’t supposed to. Another agent was assigned with the task of interrogating her once she’d come to. But, I still felt like I had to come to see her here. Like I knew I’d find answers that no one else would. Like I knew I <strong>had</strong> to come here.” He paused. “I didn’t even get to see Tancredi,” he said, raising his eyebrows at the irony. He paused again. And then he made a step towards the bed, towards Jessica, before stopping, his eyes glancing down at her wrists again. “It was by accident that I found out you were in a room, here, in this hospital...”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I thought I was part of the investigation at the beginning…” She murmured with confusion.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You <strong>were</strong> part of the investigation at the beginning,” he confirmed. “And then someone suggested to watch the footage of the corridor outside of the infirmary instead of focusing on other footage, and once that was done, you were immediately exonerated.” He paused and he made another step towards her. “When I found you here, and I learned that you worked at Fox River… I couldn’t help but wonder… why you were now a <strong>blond</strong>.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>As the flashback vanished away, Jessica sighed, looking at her blond hair, which, after two days without straightening it with an ironer, was starting to turn into curls. If only Alex hadn’t been the one assigned to lead the capture of the fugitives. Not only did he know Jessica well enough to decipher most of her lies from her truth, but he was also extremely observant and incredibly intelligent. Jessica had heard his colleagues praise him on several occasions for being one of the best FBI agents. And she had already seen him in action a few times, especially when he was after the monster that was Oscar Shales. For these reasons, Jessica knew that it wouldn’t take long for him to put two and two together. He would eventually figure out that she was involved in the escape. All she hoped for was that it wouldn’t affect him much and that it wouldn’t happen too soon—or at least, that it wouldn’t happen before she reunited with Michael.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After climbing a hill, Lincoln and Michael stopped to watch from afar as policemen, FBI agents, firemen, forensic scientists, and reporters were gathered around the staged car accident that the brothers had done at a bridge before running away.</p><p>“We should have a pretty clear path to Utah now,” Michael declared as they resumed walking, their back facing the distant staged car accident. “They’ll turn their attention to the other guys,” he continued, taking the dust off his cap as they stopped walking once they arrived near a road. He glanced at his brother who rested his hands on his hips. “Which means we’ll be off their radar for a while.”</p><p>“They’re gonna get the lab results back from the accident,” Lincoln stated.</p><p>“We’ll be in Mexico by then,” Michael reassured him.</p><p>“Provided the transport comes through,” Lincoln said, taking a look on the left side of the road and then the right.</p><p>“She’ll be here soon,” Michael replied. “Come on,” he told his brother as they crossed the road to wait under the shadow of an incredibly big tree.</p><p>Michael sat down on a small trunk tree and Lincoln watched him, his eyebrows frowned with concern, instead of sitting down on the other trunk tree next to him.</p><p>“Are you sure about her?” He asked his little brother.</p><p>“Well, she could’ve called the police when we were at her place earlier,” Michael replied, his eyes fixating his cap that he held in between his hands.</p><p>“I’m not talking about Nika,” Lincoln said and Michael looked up at him, his brow furrowed as he met his big brother’s gaze. “I’m talking about Nurse Tyler... Jessica.” He paused, expecting his little brother to say something but the latter kept quiet. “Are you sure about bringing her with us? I mean, she’s gonna have to say goodbye to her family, her friends, her whole life.”</p><p>“She’s got no one, Linc,” Michael stated. “She lost her parents years ago and her little sister was murdered a couple of years ago.” Lincoln blinked a few times as he hadn’t expected to hear that. “She doesn’t have friends, just had a few friendly colleagues with whom she lost touch when she lost her sister.” Michael paused, looking down at the cap in his hands. “I told you that I met her in New Zealand and that we then traveled across a great part of the country together, but I didn't tell you how exactly I met her." Lincoln frowned as he pushed his hands in his pants' back pockets, his gaze never looking away from his brother's face as he was listening to him. "She... She was on the edge of a cliff… She was going to kill herself.”</p><p>Lincoln saw his brother’s face as sadness spread all over it to accompany the sorrowful tone that he had as he said those words out loud. Although they had been separated quite a lot and for long periods of time during their childhood and teenage years, Lincoln still knew his little brother very well. And he knew that Michael was extremely empathetic. He could only imagine how much in pain his little brother must have felt when he saw that woman ready to jump to her death.</p><p>“I saved her in extremis, Linc,” Michael continued, looking up at his brother, only to meet his sympathetic gaze. “She felt so guilty about her sister’s death and she felt so lonely and…” Michael sighed, looking down at the cap again. “After that day, we continued traveling together in my van for almost three weeks, and we got to know each other, we shared a lot about each other, our past, our struggles, our regrets, and even our wishes… She doesn’t know it but it’s because of her that I decided to get you out of prison.” He lifted his gaze up and his brother was watching him with a surprised expression. “She planted the seeds of that plan without even knowing it," he couldn't help the small smile that grazed his lips for a moment. "At first, I thought about providing Veronica with all the help she would need to cancel your death sentence, I even thought about corrupting some judges with money or with threats to reveal their darkest secrets to the public, but then... then you were transferred to Fox River, and I knew that I could do more than cancel that sentence." Michael paused as he looked down at the cap again. "When I told her my plan back in December, she agreed to help me with absolutely no hesitation. She resigned from the clinic she was working at, dyed her hair blond, and went to work at Fox River a couple of months before I went there so that she could be there and help me out with the plan,” Michael put his cap on his head and stood up. “So, you're asking me if I’m sure about her? Well, I am one hundred percent sure about her.” He walked a couple of steps towards the road, throwing a glance on the left and the right.</p><p>"So she used to be a brunette?" Lincoln asked, causing Michael to let out a small chuckle as he threw a glance at his brother.</p><p>"Yes," Michael smirked at him before returning his attention to the road.</p><p>"That makes sense; you never cared much for blondes," Lincoln stated and the corner of Michael's lips curled up. “Do you love her?” Lincoln asked out of the blue, taking Michael by utter surprise.</p><p>“I do consider her as one of my best friends,” Michael replied, not turning around to face his brother.</p><p>“So you just love her as a friend?” Lincoln inquired.</p><p>Michael turned around. “Why are you asking?”</p><p>“Why aren’t you answering?” Lincoln asked in return and Michael squinted his eyes at him.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you’ve succumbed to the charm of Nurse Tyler?” Michael smirked.</p><p>“She never really was my nurse, you know? She only watched me a couple of times when the other nurses had other things to take care of.”</p><p>“A couple of times should be enough for you,” Michael said in a playful tone. “If I remember right, there was a time when you used to get a new girlfriend every other season.”</p><p>“Touché” Lincoln replied, shaking his head as a small smile appeared on his face. “But really,” he said, seriousness in his voice and gaze. “Is there more than friendship between you and Nurse—between you and Jessica? Because if it’s the case, then what is it between you and Doctor Tancredi?”</p><p>Michael stared at his brother for a moment when his cellphone made two beeping sounds. He immediately drifted his attention to the cellphone that he slipped out of his pocket.</p><p>“What is it? Is it your wife telling us she changed her mind and is not gonna come to pick us up?” Lincoln asked and Michael shook his head.</p><p>“Nika will be here in a couple of minutes,” Michael said. “But this was a reminder that I have to make a call.”</p><p>“Make a call to who?” Lincoln asked frowning as his brother dialed a number and put his cellphone against his ear.</p><p>“Hi, Mario’s pizza?” Michael greeted the person on the other end of the line while Lincoln stood there watching him. As infinitely grateful as Lincoln was to Michael for saving him, he couldn't help but wonder how many people his brother had used to make his plan work.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After her long and hot shower, Jessica had decided to return to their usual spot some of the objects and clothes that the police had misplaced when searching her place. She knew it was pointless, but she still did it. Besides, she had to take a few pieces of clothing anyway. She did it for a moment in complete silence before she decided to switch on her music player. She hoped that the music would keep her from thinking too much and from crying as she had done in the shower. She had cried a lot in the shower. More than on the night of the breakout. But probably not more than that dreadful and rueful night all those years ago when she found out that she had lost her sister forever. Alex had been the one to help her back then, and yet she had done all she could to not help him when he visited her at the hospital this morning. She hated herself for doing this to the man who didn’t even hesitate to help her when her sister went missing.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Alex, please, I need your help,” Jessica said, tears rolling down her face as she looked up at the dirty-blond man who had just opened his front door for her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jess? What’s wrong?” He instantly asked her and she started to shake her head, crying. “Come on in, don’t stay in the doorway.” She stepped inside and he closed the door, his blue gaze watching her with utter concern. “What happened?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I found your address on your hospital file, I’m sorry, I had to find you…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jess, tell me what’s wrong?”</em>
</p><p><em>“I know they took the case away from you and th-they gave you that leave so that you could rest a-and think about something else, but you gotta help me,” she begged in a broken voice. “She’s</em> <em>all I have… We lost our parents a few years ago. She is all I have. She’s my baby sister… Please, you have to find her b-before he… Before S-shales hurt her.” Alex stared at her for a moment, in shock. “He took her, Alex.“</em></p><p>
  <em>“What makes you say that?” Alex managed to ask.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He left me a message,” she replied in a trembling voice. “That’s the way he does it, isn’t it? You told me about it. Alex, s-she called me, a-and I didn’t pick up… If I had… None of this… None of this would have happened. I need you to help me, p-please, I’m begging you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Jess, you don’t even have to ask,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as much as he could. “You know you can count on me.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p><em>Jessica </em>shook her head, sighing as she felt her heartache at this memory. That day had been the beginning of the worst timeof her life, and she wouldn’t have made it through without the help of Alex. And yet, she had instantly accepted to help Michael even when it meant to break off all ties with the man who had helped her during the darkest and most dreadful time of her life and even the days, weeks, and months that came after that. Helping Michael was essential for her. She couldn’t forget that Michael had saved her and above all else, he needed to save his innocent brother. If he had lost him, it would have destroyed him just like losing her sister had destroyed her.</p><p>As much as she hated herself for Charles Westmorland's death...</p><p>As much as she hated herself for helping monstrous criminals break out of prison...</p><p>As much as she hated herself for lying to Alex...</p><p>She believed that helping Michael save his brother from an unfair death had been the right thing to do.</p><p>It had been the right thing to do.</p><p>It was as though she had saved her own sister...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! It was supposed to be slightly longer but I have decided to keep the next paragraphs for the beginning of the next chapter.<br/>Also, I just want to say that as from chapter 5, this story will follow a bit more closely the canon episodes (while still remaining a fanfiction), and therefore you'll get more passages with characters of the show instead of just my original character having flashbacks in which they are featured haha. I'm currently struggling with telling my story while still making sure that the characters are, well, in character. So, I think I'll need to keep my updates to once a week so that I can have time to carefully re-read my works and make the necessary changes if needed before I post.<br/>Please, if you have time and feel like doing so, share your thoughts about this story in the comments. And let me know if there's something you've always wanted to read in a Prison Break fanfiction, I might be able to incorporate it in a future chapter ;)<br/>Thanks for reading, take care.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Happy Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you'll enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>
    <em>May 30th, 2005.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>As Jessica poured herself a glass of water, she glanced up at the clock on her kitchen wall. It was past 8 in the evening, and despite her empty stomach, she hadn’t felt like eating anything ever since she came back from the hospital a few hours earlier. By 8 o’clock, she usually would have had finished her dinner and washed her dishes before burying her nose in a book. These past few months, the books she read were either borrowed from different libraries around the city or bought at old bookstores. Some of them were Spanish practice books since her Spanish had gotten rusty over the years after college, and the other books were about South America and more precisely Panama. This had all been part of her preparation for her upcoming new life.</p><p><em>A second chance</em>, Michael had told her.</p><p>But as Jessica looked down at her glass of water, she felt like she didn’t deserve that second chance. Especially not after she had helped some cold-blood murderers escape. It didn’t appease her guilt to know that Michael hadn’t used the key she had left behind for him. The fact that Doctor Tancredi had left the infirmary door open was curious and incomprehensible for the nurse, but it didn’t make her feel any less guilty. Jessica had still offered all the help Michael had needed to successfully make his way to the infirmary. In the end, she had played a part in the freeing of Theodore Bagwell and Charles Patoshik, and this even though she hadn’t known they’d join Michael in the escape…</p><p>Jessica’s gaze slowly moved from the glass of water to her bandaged wrist. She could feel her heart beating harder and faster against her ribcage as she remembered how much anger and sorrow she had felt when she found out who had escaped with Michael. How powerless and terrible she had felt. How guilty and undeserving of living she had felt. How she had thought about all the bad things that had happened in her life because she had let them happen… Like how it should have been her; that she should have been the one to die in the claws of the monstrous Shales. Not her little sister.</p><p>Suddenly, the glass in Jessica’s hand broke from her strong grip. It startled her away from her thoughts. She blinked a few times as she looked down at the shattered pieces of glass in the sink and on the counter around it. Looking at these shattered pieces of glass brought a memory to the back of her mind.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Give me your hand,” Jessica said as she stepped towards the black-haired man, making sure not to step on the pieces of glass that were scattered on the floor.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m fine,” he simply replied, looking down at his palm.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“How would you know? As far as I know, I’m the nurse and you’re the structural engineer,” she told him, wrapping her hand around his wrist and gently pulling at him so that he would follow her to the couch where they both took a seat.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You know you can’t use the nurse card whenever you feel like it,” he remarked as she looked down at the cut and the trail of blood that had started to appear. “And now I’m staining your couch.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t worry about it,” she mumbled as she kept her focus on his hand. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Don’t move,” she ordered as she walked to the other side of her living room and returned with a small box.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Your first-aid kit is in the living room?” He inquired.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I have a small kit in each room,” she replied and he raised his eyebrows, looking at her as she started to take out all the necessary stuff to tend to his cut.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Is it a nurse thing or yet another Jess thing?” He asked playfully and she gave him a look that he had come to know oh-too-well. “A Jess thing. I should’ve known,” he murmured to himself but loud enough for her to hear him as she cleaned his cut. “I’m sorry for the mess,” he said, nodding towards the pieces of glass on the floor and the blood.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s okay,” she reassured him, fully concentrated on his palm. “I have to say… I’ve never seen anyone break a glass while holding it. I mean, I saw it in the movies, but never in real life,” she said as she started to apply pressure on his palm to check that no piece of glass had made its way inside his skin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m just… I can’t believe that they’re thinking about moving the death sentence to an earlier date,” he sighed and she instantly looked up at him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I know,” she softly said, her hazel gaze roaming all over his face while he watched her fingers that were still on his palm. She returned her attention to his cut. “But I’m sure it’s gonna be okay. You and your friend Veronica will figure out a way to not let this happen. You’ve been working so hard these past few months, I’m sure you will—”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I haven’t seen her for a while,” he blurted out, interrupting her. “I’ve been working on helping my brother, but <strong>not</strong> with Veronica.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, maybe you could join forces now. Get together what you’ve got and what she’s got,” Jessica suggested before she resumed taking care of his hand. Michael remained quiet as he watched her finally put on the band-aid. “All good,” she smiled up at him, as she put his hand on his lap and then stood up to go and clean the floor, only to stop as he grabbed her forearm. She turned to look at him with a puzzled expression on her face.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You would help me, right?” He inquired in a little voice, his gaze focused on her forearm before he looked up and right into her eyes. “If I asked you to help me, you would, wouldn’t you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Of course. You’ve helped me in more ways than I can ever say. You know I would do anything to help you back,” she responded and he stood up, causing her to move her head up as to keep eye contact with the tall man. He was looking at her with a sad expression, as though he didn’t dare to say more because it pained him too much. “Michael. What can I do to help you?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>A loud honking sound coming from the street snapped away Jessica’s flashback. She blinked a few times and then glanced over at her open window. She then looked down at her hand, only to notice that when the glass broke, it hadn’t even cut her. She closed her fist and decided to stop overthinking and feeling sorry for herself. Saving Lincoln from an unfair death appeared to her as though she was doing what she could have done for her own sister, what she should have done... But beyond that, and beyond the fact that she could get a second chance even though she didn't feel like she deserved it, Jessica had made a promise. She had promised to help Michael until he and his brother were safe and sound in Panama.</p><p>And she was going to keep that promise.</p><p>“First thing first,” she told herself in a whisper as she made her way out of the kitchen and started to pace in the empty space of her living room.</p><p>Tomorrow, she would have to leave her place a little before sunrise. She would then walk down to the street where she had left the car she had purchased from an old man a month ago. Then, she would make a 13-hour long drive to Burlington in Colorado where she would finally meet with Michael. He would be waiting for her in two days, on June the 1<sup>st</sup> at the sole East-Side-Story Hotel of the city.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“So, are we going to meet in here from now on?” Michael asked, looking around. “I thought this infirmary’s room was reserved for Doctor Tancredi.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It is, but she’s not here today, and, well, the other room we usually go to is getting some fresh paint,” she informed him. “I hope you can adapt to this new environment,” she told him, making a movement with her head to indicate the camera behind her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Well, you do know that I’m not unfamiliar with this environment,” he replied with a corner smile. “This is where Doctor Tancredi takes care of me when you don’t,” he then said even though she knew that he mostly knew this room from the fact that it was from there that the breakout would meet its final step.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He slightly moved his body position and Jessica had to move in order to face him as she immediately understood that he was changing his position so that she could give her back to the only camera of the room and she could also hide him a bit from the camera.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“As you must have already figured out yourself, changes are also occurring to outside and future events,” he whispered as she rolled up his sleeve.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“The Rendez-vous?” She mouthed and he gave a nod. “Do Gandalf’s words are still to be followed?” She asked, tracing a piece of cotton on specific words inked onto a part of his forearm’s skin.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Always,” he replied, a serious yet playful smile appearing on his lips and his gray-blue eyes.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Jessica couldn’t help but smile at the memory of Michael’s face that day. The preceding days had been quite rough and stressful for him as the first escape had failed because the pipe leading to the infirmary had been replaced, and most importantly after his brother had almost gotten executed on the electric chair. She remembered how on that day the entrance of Fox River was filled with people protesting against the death penalty, demanding for its cancellation even though more than half of these people didn’t even believe in Lincoln Burrows’ innocence, or at least that was what she had seen later in the news.</p><p>Suddenly, Jessica realized that she hadn’t even watched the news. She had gotten information about the escape and the fugitives from the people who had talked to her at the hospital and from a newspaper she had gotten her hands on when leaving the hospital. And she was now curious to see what was being told on the news. She grabbed the remote control from the table and switched on the television as she sat down on her gray couch.</p><p>She put on the News channel and was instantly served with two major pieces of information.</p><p>“What a turn of events today!” The blond-haired female journalist exclaimed. “After Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows attempted to break free the young Lincoln Junior Burrows at the Cook County Court House at noon today, it appears that now it’s the end of the road for these two dangerous criminals.”</p><p>Jessica watched attentively, not even realizing that she had stopped breathing, her hazel eyes going from the snapping images of the Court House and of a car accident to the words written in red in the banner of ‘flash news’ on the below part of the screen. So much information was being thrown at her, but she kept most of her focus on what the journalists were saying.</p><p>“The end of the road for these two dangerous fugitives, it is, indeed. If you ask me, from the moment they showed up at that Court House earlier, it was already the end,” the dark-haired, green-eyes male journal said.</p><p>“Well, it <em>was</em> FBI Agent Alexander Mahone, the leader of this never-seen-before manhunt, who found them there at the Court House,” the female journalist remarked. “And it appears that Agent Mahone and his colleague, a certain Agent Mark Wheeler, are also the ones who found the car that exploded after falling from the bridge.”</p><p>“And it has been confirmed that this car was driven by Lincoln Burrows and Michael Scofield,” the male journalist said. “We still have to wait for the final confirmation of their death, but it seems that both criminals have perished in that car accident.”</p><p> </p><p>Jessica couldn’t help the memory that resurfaced of a conversation she had had with Michael months ago.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“But what if it doesn’t work? What if Abruzzi doesn’t get you that plane?” Jessica murmured to Michael as they were sitting in the empty screening room at an old and unpopular cinema in the city. The closer they were getting to the day he would rob that bank to be sent to prison, and the more complicated it was to meet each other. They had to meet at remote places where no one would see them together.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’ve already told you, as long as I promise to give him Fibonacci, he’s never gonna deny anything. Besides, he will need this plane, too,” he whispered back, his gray-blue eyes looking right into her hazel eyes that seemed brown in the obscurity of the room. “And, I have a plan B. As well as fragments of a plan C.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Do I have a part in these plans?” She asked, returning her gaze to the screen.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Not really,” he told her, moving his head towards the screen as well. After a moment, he stated, “Plan B has Lincoln and I dying.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She whipped her head towards him, “What?” She whispered-yelled. He let out a tiny chuckle and then turned his head to look at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It will be a staged death, Jess,” he said. “And we will most probably do it before you meet us in Colorado. So if you read in the newspapers that we’ve had an accident, then you’ll know that plan B is in motion. But, all you’ll need to do is what I told you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What kind of accident do you plan on staging?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m not certain yet,” he admitted, his brow slightly furrowed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Make it a car accident,” she suddenly said, turning her head back to the old film that they weren’t even watching. He stared at her, taken aback by her suggestion considering how her parents passed away. “If the car explodes, then what’s inside, or… <strong>who’s</strong> inside, is usually impossible to identify without the help of the forensic scientists and their analyzes at their labs.” She paused, nodding at herself. “It will take about two days before they get the results.”</em>
</p><p>As the memory vanished away, Jessica closed her eyes and leaned against the back of her couch, a smile of relief on her lips.</p><p>Plan B was in motion.</p><p>Michael and his brother were okay.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Suddenly, while she was embracing the relief that Michael and his brother were fine, that they were just carrying out Plan B, the doorbell of her front door rang. Startled, Jessica opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to look at the door. She wasn’t expecting a visit. She shut off the television, stood up, and walked to the front door, keeping her steps as quiet as possible until she reached the door’s peephole.</p><p>She frowned as she saw a young man, a red helmet on his head as he stood very close to the door, making it impossible for the woman to see more than his face and helmet.</p><p>“Yeah?” She asked in a suspicious tone.</p><p>“Mario’s pizza!” The young man exclaimed, grinning at the peephole before he took a step back and she could finally see him carrying a pizza box.</p><p>“You must be at the wrong address, I haven’t ordered anything,” she told him, ready to step away from the door.</p><p>“I know you haven’t, but it’s actually a birthday surprise delivery,” he said, causing her to frown in surprise and confusion. “Um, it’s from a certain… <em>Mellon</em>?”</p><p>At the sound of that last word, Jessica immediately unlocked her door and swung it open.</p><p>“You said ‘Mellon’?” She asked and he nodded.</p><p>“He said it was your birthday, so happy birthday,” he grinned at her as she looked down at the pizza box that he was holding towards her. “He didn’t pay for the pizza though. So you still have to pay 12 bucks.”</p><p>“Sure. One second,” she said before quickly going to her coffee table on which she had put her purse. She came back and handed him twenty dollars. “Keep the change.”</p><p>“Thanks!” He beamed, giving her the pizza and the receipt. “By the way, don't throw away the receipt.” She immediately looked down at the receipt. “And keep in mind that the structure of the message is important even it makes a big paragraph instead of just a couple of lines. Or at least that’s what your friend Mellon said.” Jessica didn’t pay him any attention as she was already reading the message in the section for ‘special indications for the order.’ “Happy birthday again!” She heard the young man shout from the other extremity of the corridor.</p><p>“Happy birthday, indeed,” a male voice half-whispered, startling Jessica who instantly looked up.</p><p>“Alex?”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>With her hazel eyes staring at Alex, Jessica turned the receipt down on the top of the pizza box, keeping the message hidden from him.</p><p>“I know that after the way I questioned you this morning, I’m the last person on earth that you’d wanna see, but...I brought some pizza. And I do see that you’ve already treated yourself with one, so I guess I won’t be able to persuade you to let me in. <em>But</em>,” he said, lifting the pizza box up. “This one is from Angelo’s restaurant, and if I remember right, they make your favorite pizzas.”</p><p>Jessica glanced down at the pizza box he was holding and then she moved her gaze back up to his face. The cold expression that he wore when he was interrogating her at the hospital was gone, replaced by a soft and pleading expression; one that she had seen only once in the past.</p><p>She bit on her bottom lip, took the pizza box from his hand, and stepped back into her apartment, keeping the door open for him to enter.</p><p>“Thank you,” he murmured as he made his way inside. He couldn’t help but take a look around the place. It had been months since he last came, and the apartment hadn’t changed a bit, to the exception of three paintings missing on a wall. “You’ve thrown away the paintings? I thought you wanted to keep them because you could sell them for a nice price one day.”</p><p>“They’re in my bedroom,” she just said and he turned around to see that she was in that small space between the kitchen area and her living room, putting down the pizza boxes on the dinner table. “But, you’re not here to talk about the paintings I’ve inherited, are you?”</p><p>“The hospital called me,” he declared in response, not moving from where he was standing, a few steps away from her. “To let me know that you left. I have to say I was a bit surprised. I thought that, um, for your safety, they would… keep you for a little longer.”</p><p>“I’ve worked there; I know what needs to be said for a patient to leave when they wish even after they…did what I did,” she looked away at the end of her reply.</p><p>“Right,” he said, his gaze falling on her fingers as she pulled down at the hem of her shirt’s sleeves. “Well, you got yourself a pizza. Keeping up with the birthday tradition means you’re feeling better… Right?” He asked, concern clear in his voice and when she looked up, she saw that concern painted all over his face.</p><p>“Is that why you’re here tonight?” She calmly asked.</p><p>“That, and I didn’t want you to be alone on the night of your birthday,” he replied with a voice just as calm, a faint and gentle smile appearing on his lips.</p><p>Jessica couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her lips as well. “That’s nice of you,” she said before looking down. “But you didn’t have to bother yourself. I know how every minute is important when you are on a big case like this one.”</p><p>“True. But I still get a dinner break; especially tonight,” he replied, and then out of the blue he announced, “They’re dead. Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows. They had a car accident a few hours ago.”</p><p>“I know,” she nodded and he was slightly surprised to see a neutral expression on her face. “I was watching the news right before you came.”</p><p>Alex roamed his eyes over her face, trying to decipher some sadness or shock, but there was nothing of the sort. As though she didn't even care that these two fugitives had died. And suddenly, he realized t how wrong he had been all along.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “I’m sorry for treating you like a suspect this morning. I just…” He took a step towards her. “There were too many things that weren’t right and they were all aligning and pointing towards the same direction, so for a moment… For a moment, I thought that maybe you were involved somehow and for some reason in that breakout,” he explained and she stared at him, not letting any expression show on her face as she closed her fingers tightly around the fabric of the hem of her shirt’s sleeves. “I-I kept pushing away the fact that Sara Tancredi is the one who left the door open, <em>not</em> you,” he continued, pointing at her. “Not you…” He trailed off, taking another yet smaller step towards her, leaving not more than six feet between them. “This afternoon, I was told about some camera footage that showed Tancredi and Scofield kissing,” he kept on and Jessica was slightly taken aback by that piece of information she had no idea about, which caused her to blink a few times in incomprehension and surprise. “I know you didn’t know. It appears that no one at Fox River suspected that. Only one of the nurses, a certain Katie Welch, said that she believed that Tancredi was infatuated by Scofield, but that’s it,” he shrugged. He then sighed, shaking his head. “The Doc was the one who went full Florence Nightingale on Scofield, not you. And yet, I accused you of that this morning, and… well until I was told about that camera footage, I kept thinking that you were involved.” He paused. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m really sorry for not trusting you the way I should have.”</p><p>Those words immediately made Jessica feel terrible, but she remained still and quiet. Her hazel eyes were getting teary but they kept on looking right into his piercing blue eyes.</p><p>Suddenly, his cellphone made two beeping sounds. Neither of them broke eye contact though. And Alex didn’t even take his phone out to check the message he had just received.</p><p>“I wish I could go back in time, because I know I didn’t treat you right…” Alex continued. “Not just this morning, but even before that.” He paused, moving his gaze at the pizza boxes on the table. “For over a year and a half, I turned to you every time I needed relief, every time I felt like I was losing my mind… Ever since that <em>night</em>…” He paused and then looked at her again. “I turned to you and I took advantage of the comfort you offered me, of the pleasure you gave me—of <em>you</em>. I… used you.”</p><p>“Alex, no,” she said before he could say anything more. “I don’t know where that comes from but you didn’t take advantage of me or used me,” she told him, tilting her head so that she could meet his gaze. “Never,” she added distinctly once her gaze was locked with his. “We’re both adults, and we both turned to each other on that night and all the other times because we… We <em>needed</em> it. And there was nothing wrong about it.”</p><p>“But it wasn’t healthy,” he half-murmured and she knew he was referencing what she had told him when she broke all ties with him back in December. “And I believe you were right about this, but… But it was easier like that. Or at least, I thought that it was.”</p><p>Jessica was going to say something when Alex’s cellphone rang. He let out a long sigh and then reluctantly pulled his phone out of his pocket. He glanced down at it, seeing that it was his colleague, Agent Lang, who was contacting him while he knew that she wouldn’t bother him during his break unless it was urgent. He sighed again, and then looked up at Jessica.</p><p>“It’s okay, pick it up,” she told him and he obliged.</p><p>“What?” He sighed, holding his cellphone against his ear as he looked at Jessica who just stood there, looking down at her fingers as she pulled at the hem of her sleeves. She couldn't hear much that his colleague was saying on the other end of the line, but she heard the name of John Abruzzi and that was enough for her to understand that, fortunately, the call had nothing to do with Michael and his brother. “Are you certain? … Alright, I’ll be right there,” he said before hanging up. He stared at his cellphone for a moment and then looked up at Jessica with an apologetic look as he held his phone up.</p><p>“I know, you gotta go,” Jessica said with a little smile, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said truthfully.</p><p>“Don’t be,” she shook her head. “You came while you didn’t even have to. And I know your office isn’t exactly around the corner.”</p><p>“I wish I could stay longer,” he admitted in a sad tone. “I could promise you to pass by later tonight but I fear that I may have to pull an all-nighter at the office.”</p><p>“It’s alright, I was thinking about sleeping early anyways,” she replied and he offered a simple nod in response. “You can take the pizza with you,” she gestured towards the pizza box he had brought.</p><p>“No, you can keep the Angelo’s one, but if you don’t mind I’ll take the cheap Mario’s one,” he said and she froze for a moment as he walked to the table.</p><p>She looked at the pizza box and the receipt on top of it.</p><p>The receipt with the message.</p><p>The receipt with <em>Michael's</em> message.</p><p>“Let me put in a Tupperware for you,” she said, quickly stepping in front of him to take the pizza box.</p><p>“Nonsense; I’ll take it like that,” he replied, taking the pizza box with the receipt still on top of it.</p><p>“You’re sure you don’t want the <em>not</em>-cheap one instead?” She asked, trying her best not to sound nervous.</p><p>“You enjoy it,” he smiled at her.</p><p>“Alright,” she said before casually and yet completely boldly taking the receipt off the pizza box and crumpling it into a small paper ball. “Let me walk you to the door.” She closed her eyes in relief as she went to the front door, Alex following behind, apparently not thinking at all that she had acted strangely while she felt like so.</p><p>She opened the door and turned to look up at him as he stepped out.</p><p>“Oh,” he let out, spinning around to face her. “I forgot.” Holding the pizza box in one hand, he pulled out a black micro notebook with a gold fabric gift ribbon wrapped around it. “Happy birthday,” he handed it to her and she took it. “It’s not much, but I saw this notebook months ago in a small shop while on a case, and I thought you’d like it. I... I’ve been keeping it in my office ever since. I was hoping to gift it to you even if you didn’t want to see me anymore.” Her fingertips traced the flower drawn on its cover page as a smile formed on her lips. “It’s a Myosotis flower, or as they call it, a <em>Forget-Me-Not</em> flower.” She looked up at him. “I guess it comes at the right time because… Because I want you to not forget me when things get hard and everything feels wrong. You're not alone, Jess. You're not.” Jessica felt the tears coming up in her eyes. “My phone number is written on the first page,” he nodded towards the notebook. “Call me. Whenever you need something or someone to talk to. Call me.”</p><p>Jessica approached him, and standing on her tiptoes she wrapped her arms around his neck. He naturally slipped his free arm around her middle, hugging her back and closing his eyes as he turned his face to her blond curls and breathed in the vanilla perfume of her shampoo.</p><p>“Thank you,” she whispered, closing her eyes as she inhaled his scent, a thousand memories coming back to the back of her mind but she pushed them all away to focus on what was most probably going to be their last embrace. That thought made her want to hug him even tighter and never let go but instead, she unwrapped her hands and stepped back, causing him to drop his arm off her rather abruptly.</p><p>“Alright. I’ll see you soon,” he said, his blue eyes staring right into hers as though he was trying to make her understand that it was an unbreakable promise.</p><p>In response, Jessica gave him a little smile and a simple nod of the head.</p><p>She watched him as he started to walk down the corridor. He suddenly stopped and turned around.</p><p>“By the way, the blond hair, it’s not that bad, but I gotta say, brown hair suits you way better,” he said and Jessica couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips. “See you.”</p><p>With those two final words, Alex continued to walk down the stairs. Jessica watched him as he turned to the left and walked down the stairs. As silence settled in, she didn’t move from where she was standing at her doorway, her hazel eyes staring at the empty corridor as her smile slowly left her lips. She looked down at the notebook she was holding in her left hand and then stepped back into her apartment, closing the door behind her as she focused her attention now on her other hand that she had kept fisted around the small paper ball that the receipt had become. She went to her couch, sitting on the edge of it, she put then notebook down and quickly unfolded the paper ball.</p><p>She read the message out loud, thinking that it could appear clearer for her than when she read it in her head earlier.</p><p>“Good and happy birthday to you. I believe a pizza is what you wished for. Last time we said we’d celebrate together and while I wish it could’ve been as we said, it does not change our plans that stand still and erect. Make Gandalf’s words count as from your birthday now and we’ll celebrate. Mellon.” Jessica sighed. “Alright, Michael, so I know what you mean by Gandalf’s words,” she told herself as a flashback came to her.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Wait, this looks like Elvish?” Jessica asked, pointing at a portion of Michael’s big tattoo on his forearm as they were both sitting at a small coffee place.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It is,” he simply replied before sliding down his shirt’s sleeve even higher to show her the rest of that part of the tattoo.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“What does it say?” She asked.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You disappoint me,” he told her with a fake sigh of disappointment. “And here I thought you were a bigger fan of Tolkien’s wonderful universe than I.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh come on, I’m pretty sure you don’t read the language he invented either,” she said as she leaned back in her chair.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I don’t, but I have memorized a few Elvish words, how to pronounce and spell them,” he replied as he took his glass of water. “And this here says: “Look to my coming on the first lights of the fifth day, at dawn look to the east.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Wait, that’s a quote from the second movie. Gandalf says it but in English,” she remarked and he gave a nod. “You translated it into Elvish? Okay, I gotta say, that’s cool.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Beyond being cool, this is one of the most important parts of the whole plan,” he told her and she gave him a questioning look. “The day I…” He threw quick glances around him, making sure that no waiter was at a hearing distance. “The day I get out will count as the first day. The next day will be the second, and so on so on, until the fifth day which is the day my brother and I reunite with you in Colorado and then leave for Panama.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Alright,” she nodded to herself before she saw another elvish word tattooed just a couple of inches away from the movie’s quotation. “And that’s ‘Mellon.’”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“It is,” he smiled as he looked down at what she had rested her finger. He then pulled his arm away from her touch as he slid the sleeve back down to hide his new tattoo. “That’s because this part of the plan is about you, my only, true ‘Mellon.’”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jessica didn’t know why she felt a bit of heartache as he said those words. She looked down at her coffee mug as she slid her hand off the table, leaned back in her chair, and grabbed her coffee mug.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I mean it, you know,” Michael said, causing her to look up and meet his deep blue and gray eyes. “You really are my only, true friend.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Jessica sighed as the memory vanished away.</p><p>“Alright… So, make Gandalf’s words count from now on… That means, today, May 30th, is the first day… And the fifth day will be… June the 3<sup>rd</sup>,” she told herself. “But, then why do you say that you ‘wish it could’ve been as we said’? And then you say that ‘it does not change our plans that stand still and erect’ … Does that mean that <em>only</em> the date changes?”</p><p>Suddenly, she remembered what the pizza guy had told her before leaving.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“And keep in mind that the structure of the message is important even it makes a big paragraph instead of just a couple of lines. Or at least that’s what your friend Mellon said.”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“The structure,” she murmured to herself as she looked down at the message, tilting her head to the side. The message had been typed by the people working at the restaurant. Michael must have called them and asked them to add the message. The message looked like those free-writing poems in which poets would start a new line even when they hadn’t finished their sentences. And if she took into consideration what the pizza guy had told her, then it meant that Michael must have asked for the message to appear as such.</p><p>“Stand still and erect,” she repeated in a whisper to herself. “Still and erect…” She frowned, the word ‘erect’ was such a curious word to choose for what needed to seem like a birthday message. Suddenly, she remembered the numerous times during which she had seen Michael scribble around big words that were written in a magazine. His scribbles would turn into drawings of tall buildings on the first words of each line and they would always joke about how he was erecting the best buildings on silly popstar magazines.</p><p>Jessica bit on her bottom lip as she looked at the first words of each line.</p><p>“Good, I, Last, And, Not, Make?” She read in a puzzled tone.</p><p>It didn't sound right.</p><p>Jessica squinted her eyes as she realized that maybe it was like that time he had drawn a building around the first <em>letters</em> of a large paragraph.</p><p>She grabbed the pen that was laying around on her coffee table and drew a rectangle that included all the first letters of each line.</p><p>“G, I, L, A, N, M…” She said and then sighed. She stared at the receipt for a moment, tilting her head to the side again, and then she was hit by an epiphany. “G, I, L, A. Gila. And N, M, has to be New Mexico. This has to be it. If there's an East-Side-Story Hotel in Gila, then the Rendez-vous is at Gila in New Mexico on June the third.”</p><p>With a smile on her face, Jessica kept her gaze on the receipt. <em>That's it,</em> she thought.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Good and happy birthday to you.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>I believe a pizza is what you wished for.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Last time we said we’d celebrate together</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>And while I wish it could’ve been as we said, it does</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Not change our plans that stand still and erect.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>Make Gandalf’s words count as from your birthday now and we’ll celebrate.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>              Mellon.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Jessica glanced at the notebook and her smile dropped off her face as Alex's apologies for not trusting her echoed in the back of her head and guilt reappeared inside of her. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So, about this chapter...<br/>First of all, I hope you've enjoyed it.<br/>But most of all, I hope you understand that by putting Alex in situations that are quite different from the situations we’ve seen him in the show, he may appear a bit too OOC. I try my best not to make it too much, but it’s not that easy. Same goes for Michael. Although the fact that this is a fanfiction does not excuse my writing making the characters of the show appear a bit differently or OOC, I hope you understand and are okay with the fact that my original character Jessica brings out other aspects of their personalities because of the relationship she has or had with them. That being said, please keep in mind that the next chapters will be following more closely the canon episodes, and therefore the characters you know and love will be much more accurate.</p><p>Also, I apologize, but I will have to update every 2 weeks instead of more frequently. My life has become just crazier and busier than ever before. So, yeah, I guess an update every 2 weeks will be better for me to make sure that I can tell the story I wanna tell and I can keep up with my work too.</p><p>Thank you for reading!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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